It's a Saturday night the week after midterms, and you've already sipped on a few mixed drinks with your friends. Maybe you've taken a couple shots, too. If you want to go to a party and there is no one to give you a ride or you all want to go out to eat at the nearby Mexican restaurant for some chips and queso, you cannot because no one is sober enough to drive.
The first thought that pops into every college student's head? Call an Uber.
But is that really the safest decision?
On Saturday, Feb. 20, at 5:42 p.m., the 7-hour killing rampage began.
Sources reported to CNN that an Uber driver, Jason Brian Dalton, began recklessly -- yet staying calmly composed -- driving through the area after receiving a phone call. The passenger who reported this escaped the car the first chance he could after realizing the driver's strange behavior.
The first was a woman with her three kids. She was shot multiple times in an apartment complex parking lot.
The next were a father and son, shot and killed at a car dealership.
Then it was the four women and one teenage girl sitting in their car in a nearby Cracker Barrel parking lot. The four were killed, but the 14-year-old girl miraculously survived.
A little over two hours late, police tracked down and arrested Dalton.
The scariest part? Dalton passed Uber's required background check.
With all the scares and stories out there, from the horrific story of Hannah Graham to obscure cases of assault on almost every college campus, it amazes me that people don't think twice about getting into a stranger's car, simply because they work for Uber.
How do you feel about your daughter, after she's thrown back some shots and has one-too-many drinks, getting into a middle-aged man's car with some of her friends who have drank just as much as she has -- maybe more?
There is this universal trust of Uber drivers simply because the company itself has been successful.
Uber is in 382 cities worldwide.
According to the website, the company will "need your license, registration, proof of insurance, and the necessary information to run a background check." Then, you're ready to go, and are officially an Uber driver.
I've taken a few Uber rides during my college experience, and all of them have been positive. And only a handful of cases have been reported where catastrophic events have occurred, but they do exist.
With Uber taking over the "cab" business, it is important to ensure not only background checks and hard copy paperwork, but an evaluation and face-to-face interview with the driver applicants.
